Longarm and the Colorado gundown

_{The cup consisted of a set of interlocking silver bands set one inside another and another and so on. Collapsed small for the purposes of carrying, the cup looked all the world like a circle of thick silver metal, yet one good shake and the rings would slide apart and lodge top to bottom to form a cylinder capable of holding eight or ten ounces of liquid. Clever, even if not as convenient as one’s own palm when it came to drinking from mountain streams. Longarm opened it and gave it a tug to make sure the rings locked tight, then ambled over to the swift-running stream. The water was icy on his hand when he dipped the cup full, and before he was back to the wagon there was condensation forming on the outside of the metal cup. He walked around to the far side of the rig and handed the cup up rather than get back on board with his lighted cheroot.}

_{“Thank you, sir.”}

_{“My pleasure, ma’am.”}

_{She had to lift her veil to drink, and he could see that this woman was what a man would hope to find behind every veil. Lovely. Her cheeks were rosy and full, her lips even rosier and more lush. Her eyes were dark and her lashes long and curling. She had dimples when she smiled. She wasn’t any kid, being in her thirties at the least. Longarm didn’t get a very good look at her. But good enough. He liked what he saw there. She drank quickly, holding her veil just barely aside while she did so, and then handed the empty cup back down to him. “Thank you, sir, I—”}

_{“Hey!” the railroad boss barked. “You. It’s, uh, don’t tell me now.” He snapped his fingers impatiently, the way some people will do in an effort to jog reluctant memory. “Dammit, I know you. Oh, hell, yes. Frenchie!” He barked out a laugh and leaned forward, one meaty hand probing}

_{without warning or hesitation into the woman’s crotch.}

_{The lady cried out and shrank into a comer, but he had her trapped there. And his hand was searching now for the hem of her gown.}

_{Longarm roared and swarmed the side of the wagon rather than wasting the time it would take to go around to the steps.}

_{“You dumb son of a bitch,” the railroader protested, “this is—”}

_{He didn’t have time enough to finish his statement. Longarm’s right fist crushed his lips flat against his teeth, pulping soft flesh and sending blood flying.}

_{The woman screamed and tried to draw away, but she was already trapped in a comer of the seat. There was nowhere she could go.}